Tips to Make Family Vacations Affordable and Fun
Or How to Stay Sane During a 12-Hour Drive While Stuck In the Car with 3 Children

08/02/2013

Favorite Rides

As I have been
thinking about wild rides this week, I’ve been thinking about all of the
amusement park visits I have been on, all the rides I have ridden, all the
places I have been. (Sounds a bit Dr. Seuss-like doesn’t it?)

It got me to
thinking – of all the rides I have been on, what do I consider to be the
wildest and craziest to date?

I think of all
the wild rides, the craziest to date has got to be the Superman roller coaster
at Six Flags New England.

When I rode
this ride a number of years ago, it was still called Superman: Man of Steel. In
reading some articles about it, I’ve learned that the name has since changed to
Bizarro, the name of a lesser-known villain of Superman’s. The theme park has
redesigned the story around the coaster (something about Bizarro taking over
the Superman ride, but Superman prevailing in the end).

From what I can
tell, though, despite a different color and some extra “bling”, the ride itself
still seems to be the same.

What makes this
ride stand out is that the first hill you ascend is 208 feet high, but the drop
on the other side is 221 feet! This sounds impossible, but it works, because
not only do you descend quickly - getting up to speeds around 75 mph – at the
bottom of the drop you go directly into a foggy tunnel. And when you fly back
up out of the tunnel on the other side, it’s like you are Superman!

The seats don’t
have those over the shoulder harnesses. It’s just a simple lap belt with a
U-shaped safety bar across your lap. So, when you hit that first descent, you
can literally feel yourself lift slightly out of the seat.

Yes, this is
that ride where my scream was still at the top of the ride while I was already
at the tunnel!!

So, how about
the rest of the Road Trip Family? For Sweet Pea, she loved Hollywood Studio’s
Tower of Terror in Disney World, but I think that ride has recently been topped
by her discovery of the thrills with riding the Comet at Six Flags Great
Escape.

For Peanut,
nothing has topped the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney World’s Hollywood
Studios. By far, her favorite ride to date. Although, Space Mountain is a close
second!

For Pumpkin,
well, I think she is still having nightmares about that kiddie coaster ride at
PEI (see Monday’s blog). For her, the ferris wheel at PEI is just her speed.

And as for My
Chandler –he enjoys the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, too – as long as he hasn’t had
anything to eat or drink!